From the archive: Airport virginity tests banned by Rees

Gynaecological tests on immigrant women are to be stopped, the Home Secretary announced yesterday. He instructed immigration officers not to ask for examinations to find out if passengers had borne children or had sexual relations.

Mr Rees has acted swiftly after the Guardian's disclosures on Thursday that immigrant women were being subjected to examinations at Heath­row airport to determine whether they were bona fide fiancées or married women.

There was an immediate outcry from minority organisations and MPs, with the Prime Minister commenting in the House of Commons that all MPs would be disturbed by what they had read.

The Indian Deputy High Commissioner, Mr Alan Nazareth, yesterday registered a strong protest with Mr Evan Luard, an Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, saying that his government was outraged and wanted the practice banned, pointing out that it was done nowhere else in the world.

The Home Office said that immigration officers could refer passengers for medical examination if they were to stay in the country for more than six months. "There have been rare occasions when an immigration officer has asked the medical inspector if he can determine whether the passenger has borne children which could be relevant to his decision whether a passenger should be admitted."

The Indian school-teacher who described her gynaecological examination to the Guardian was, said the statement, examined because an officer suspected she might have been married, and wanted an opinion on whether she had borne children. She was entering as the fiancée of a London man.

"The examination was made with the woman's written consent after its nature had been explained to her in her native tongue. The doctor told the immigration officer that the examination had shown that no children had been born and the woman was given leave to enter for three months as a fiancée.

"The Home Secretary has now considered the reports on this case, and has given instructions that immigration officers should not ask the medical inspector to examine passengers with a view to establishing whether they have borne children or have had sexual relations."

Miss Jo Richardson, Labour MP for Barking said, "We must go a lot further and find out why this took place, who ordered it, and particularly if immigration officials were doing it without the knowledge of Home Office Ministers. If so, some disciplinary action should be taken and the officers should go."